


Rabbit in the Spacelights

by Taudi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Hatake Kakashi, College, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 17:02:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19705663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taudi/pseuds/Taudi
Summary: A short story of Umino Iruka doing the best he can for Hatake Kakashi, which include a tiny house, road trips and love.





	Rabbit in the Spacelights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SqueakyNinja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SqueakyNinja/gifts).



> KakaIru Fest summer 2019 admission. 
> 
> Dear SqueakyNinja,
> 
> I really hope you like it because I think I strayed a bit from the prompts you gave me.

Some days Kakashi would get this faraway look in his eyes. He would be there and yet, not. He would stand outside, in their small garden of their tiny house; head tilted back his eyes searching for the light of the stars, which were almost impossible to see, as they lived in Konoha the capital city of the Fire Country. Iruka never disturbed him, just kept an eye on him, and tried to figure out when they could both take some time off. Sometimes it would only be a single day but that could be enough to make the haunted look disappear from Kakashi's eyes,

Iruka woke up and felt Kakashi leave the bed. The green light from their digital alarm clock was glaring the numbers 04.23 and Iruka grunted and turned onto Kakashi’s side of the bed, to keep it warm for when he got back. When the sound of the patio door opening reached him he knew Kakashi wouldn’t return. Iruka sighed heavily and turned on his back. The glowing in the dark stars, moon and planets still glowed faintly on the ceiling.

Genma had once started to make fun of the blue, pink and green plastic suddenly appearing after Kakashi moved in but Iruka had told him to shut up or fuck off if the next words out of his mouth weren't a thank you for the beer you just gave me and it sure looks nice after the redecorating.

Iruka sat up and rubbed his eyes free from sleep and slowly rolled out of bed. Their tiny house had a tiny bedroom and Kakashi had insisted on getting a bed that reached from wall to wall. It was as close to what he'd been used to before and Iruka hadn't really objected much.

He blindly grabbed a pair of discarded underwear on the floor, giving a fleeting thought of huh, not mine, when they were a little snug at the hips.  
He walked through the living room, the stars and planets still glowing above him and into the kitchen, which was actually a decent size. The coffeemaker was timed to start brewing at six o’clock so he just pressed start and let it sputter away as he prepared a simple breakfast.

He made some apple and nectarine slices and two bowls of non flavoured yoghurt. He added the homemade muesli crunch on top of both the bowls, but in Kakashi’s, he also sprinkled a good handful of turkey bacon bits and a few fresh basil leaves, from their little herb garden in the windowsill. Iruka put it on the small table at the end of the kitchen and then prepared the coffee when the machine beeped. He liked his black and plain in a neon orange mug with glue residue on the handle after it broke clean off. Kakashi's coffee was an even mix of condensed milk and coffee with a pinch of salt, in one of those mugs where a creature lurked on the bottom and was only revealed when you’d drunk what was inside. Kakashi had a bunch of those and today Iruka chose one with porcelain rubber duck.

He squeezed himself into the chair at the table, put Kakashi’s mug down and curled his hands around his own. He sat a few minutes waiting for his coffee to cool and wondered if maybe he made Kakashi's coffee too soon. He didn't worry long, though, because Kakashi silently appeared in the kitchen doorway. He was completely naked and unashamed and Iruka smiled.

"Good morning" Iruka said quietly and watched as Kakashi made his way to the table and sat down.

"I didn't mean to wake you. You didn't have to get up."

"There was no point in going back to sleep and I don't mind." Iruka reassured.

"Thank you"

Iruka intertwined their legs which really was impossible not to, in the confined space, and took a sip of his coffee knowing Kakashi had reached his verbal communication for now and Iruka watched his boyfriend eat with slow languid motions and that faraway look in his half lidded eyes. His silver white hair was sleep tousled and sticking up everywhere. There were still pillow creases on the left side of his face and the odd flowy yet straight lined tattoos adoring his chest, shoulder and entire right arm were glowing iridescent blue and purple, in the warm light, from the single light bulb in the ceiling.

"Only a few more days, baby."

Kakashi didn't answer but reached out and held Iruka’s hand. He didn't let go until the alarm clock was blaring in the bedroom.

* * *

The cursor on the blank word document was blinking mockingly at Iruka. He pushed some random keys on the keyboard out of frustration. It didn’t help at all and Iruka groaned and tipped his head back on the sofa cushion behind him.

The warmth of the kotatsu was making him sleepy and he closed his eyes for a moment. The days had started to get chilly and the skin on his knuckles where dry and irritated, making it itch uncomfortably. Kakashi was so sweet to rub lotion into the almost white and cracking skin but nothing seemed to work, not even his homemade concoctions, he found on Instagram.

Iruka could feel the itch now and fought the urge to scratch the damaged skin. In his misery he didn't hear Kakashi come home before the man sat down beside him on the floor.

Iruka slumped to the side and let Kakashi take his weight. "Rough day?"

"No, it's not been so bad. I just can't seem to get started on this stupid paper" Iruka complained and snuggled deep into Kakashi’s armpit breathing in the heavy smell of sweat clinging to the thick sweater.  
Kakashi chuckled and wrapped his arms around Iruka. A crinkling of paper drew Iruka’s attention to Kakashi’s hand.

"What's that?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, some magazine I found on the ground. I don’t really understand it."

"Can I see?"

Kakashi nodded and handed the magazine to Iruka who sat up again but still kept close to Kakashi.  
It wasn't a magazine. It was a children catalogue from one of the chain toy stores in Konoha. It was the kind they offered up to Christmas, where the children could check a small box beside the picture of whatever thing they wished for.

"They've started early this year" He said.

"What is it?'

"A kind of wish list for children. They can check this little box," Iruka pointed at a white square next to a toy car, "and the parents can see what they want for Christmas and it's simultaneously a commercial because what’s in here is something the store sells."

"Ah, okay." Kakashi said softly. He was gently rubbing a corner of the catalogue with his finger, trying to remove a patch of wet dirt. His face was relaxed but Iruka saw his eyes shifting around on the two pages. Iruka gave Kakashi a big wet smooch on his ridiculously high cheekbone and gave the catalogue back.

"You can read it while I struggle with the stupid paper and here." He shuffled through the open pencil case next to his laptop and took out a pink pen, with a drooping fluffy flamingo on top, and gave it to Kakashi. "You can check some of the boxes if you see something you like."

"But I’m not a child" Kakashi said confused but took the offered pen anyway.

"That doesn’t matter. Kotetsu has a whole room dedicated to Barbie dolls and that’s considered a child’s toy."

They ended up with Iruka angrily smashing keys on the laptop and Kakashi slowly reading through the catalogue and checking a few boxes.

* * *

The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze blowing, making it perfect for eating lunch outside. Iruka sat on the grass soaking up the sun, hair loose from his pony tail, while waiting for Kakashi to join him. Thursday was the only day they had lunch at the same time and they always spent it alone together. There were students milling around, some had even been prepared and brought blankets to sit on. Iruka wasn't bothered by the stains of dirt he could already see on his blue chinos. He just dug his fingers into the well kept grass and smiled, when he finally saw a shock of silver white hair in the crowd.

He waved to get Kakashi's attention. His boyfriend quickly saw him and hurried over, almost knocking down a group of students. Iruka frowned. Something was off about Kakashi. The man had incredible reflexes and awareness of his surroundings. When Kakashi finally reached him, he didn't sit down; instead he grabbed Iruka by the elbow and dragged him up off the ground.

"Kakashi? What's wrong?" Iruka asked as he watched Kakashi take Iruka’s bag and sling it over his shoulder.  
"We have to go" He answered harshly, and looked over his shoulder, before taking Iruka’s hand and walking away briskly.

"What happened?" Iruka asked when they neared one of the parking lots and no one was around.

"I think someone knows about me. I don’t know how or why they would even talk to me."

Iruka's heart instantly beat faster with adrenaline and he looked around, afraid to see men in black, or a swat team, or something trying to take Kakashi away.

"What happened?" Iruka asked again but this time with a hint of fear.  
Kakashi kept walking, still holding Iruka’s hand in a strong grip. "A woman walked up to me and asked if I fell from Heaven. I don’t know how she figured that out bu..."

Iruka stopped abruptly and Kakashi was yanked back. "Iruka?"

"Someone asked you if you fell."

"Yes," Kakashi answered. "Now come on we have to go." He tugged on Iruka’s hand but Iruka didn't move.

"Kakashi, my love, my darling genius. The woman was hitting on you."

Kakashi made a funny face of confusion "What?"

"It's a pick up line. She meant you fell from the biblical heaven, like, she was trying to tell you you’re an angel because you’re beautiful."

Iruka lifted his free hand and cupped Kakashi’s cheek "You're so beautiful" He whispered, staring into Kakashis mismatched eyes, one midnight blue and the other milky white and damaged.  
He was wearing a thin tight black t-shirt with sleeves and black skinny jeans and ragged grey converse.

And Iruka fell a little more in love, when Kakashi exhaled a soft "Oh." And his whole body relaxed.

Iruka just wanted to kiss him, so he did, because he could. Kakashi fell into it willingly, dropping Iruka’s bag from his shoulder, and put his arm around Iruka’s neck pulling them tight together.

They ended up going home anyway both too shaken to be able to concentrate on lectures. Kakashi searched on Google for lists of pick up lines sitting at their kitchen table, his long legs folded under it, while Iruka prepared the lunch they were supposed to eat at college and two glasses of ice water. He kept thinking he should find the whole situation funny. But he didn't.

* * *

Kakashi had only asked about one item from the wish list catalogue, not understanding the vague description. When he finally understood he had almost reverently and carefully checked the small box with an expression Iruka had never seen.

Iruka had bought the item in bulk, for the fraction of the prize, on a web store that night. He didn't intend for it to be a Christmas gift so, when it arrived, he just plopped the big package in Kakashi's lap as he was sitting on the couch reading a book for class.

"Open it." He said, beaming, and laughed, when Kakashi managed to rip it open without a scissor.

Inside were different kinds of bags with glow in the dark stars of various sizes and colours. There were also different types of planets and half moons, which hadn't been in the catalogue.  
Kakashi's eyes got bigger after every bag he pulled out but he blinked a few times when Iruka snatched the paper with the order details from his hand.

"Why did you get these?"

"Because I love you," Iruka smiled at his bewildered boyfriend, "and you didn’t have any decorations from your old apartment so, voilá." Iruka spread out his arms in a flourish. "Decorate away."

"But it doesn't fit your own Nordic aesthetic style"  
"No." Iruka agreed. Because it really didn't. Iruka loved the clean earthy feel of rough furniture and muted colours in sleek modern lines. "But this is your home now, too."

Iruka only had seconds to admire the soft look on Kakashi’s face before he had a tall, gorgeous, muscular man throwing himself at him. They went down hard on the floor but Kakashi’s kisses made Iruka forget all about his stinging elbow, and they were both laughing amidst plastic bags with plastic stars.

* * *

There was nothing but road ahead of them and rolling fields to the sides. Iruka drove a little above the allowed speed limit and glanced, occasionally, at his boyfriend sitting in the passenger seat. Kakashi had his window rolled all the way down and his head tilted out a little, eyes closed and the wind whipping through his hair. He was finally present in the here and now after days of spacing out and staying up most of the night to look up at the night sky. Their two week vacation hadn't come fast enough and Iruka had done his best to balance exams, Kakashi and preparing for their trip so they could leave as fast as possible.

They drove in an old yellow Classic VW camper van with a pop top that Kakashi had bought cheap a year ago and upgraded together with Asuma in his mechanic shop. The interior, behind the front seats, had a small seating area and a kitchen. The bed was in the pop top, on the roof, where Kakashi and Asuma had made a sky light, so Kakashi was able to look up at the sky. Fortunately last night, the first night of their vacation, had been cloudless and Iruka could feel all the tension leave Kakashi’s body as they lay entangled under summer duvets. Iruka had laid half on Kakashi with his face buried in the crook of his neck. He'd gently kissed the vulnerable skin until he fell asleep to the feeling of Kakashi's fingers running through his hair. They'd woken up early and made love, and Iruka could still feel the drops of sweat falling from the tips of Kakashi’s hair, and landing on his chest as Kakashi moved slowly above him, taking Iruka’s cock deep.

"Are you feeling better?" Iruka asked and adjusted the sunglasses on his face. They sometimes rested on the edge of his scar, which hurt a little bit.

Kakashi rested his hand on Iruka’s thigh but kept his eyes closed "I’m as happy as a clam in an egg."

  
Iruka laughed.

* * *

It took about two months for Kakashi to put the stars up on the entire ceiling of their tiny house, which meant the bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom. The first couple of days Kakashi sat curled up on the sofa with multiple notebooks that only had small grey dots on the paper so he was able to both write, calculate and sketch. Iruka left him to it and made sure to feed him and get him out of the house for classes.

One night he tried to explain what he was doing and maybe Iruka could have understood the mathematics if it wasn't alien, both in terms and method. What Iruka did understand was, that Kakashi was trying to make a star map with stars and moons and planets placed with the exact distance from each other as they appeared in the universe, but it had to fit with the shape and size of the ceiling, too. So for a while Iruka would watch Kakashi stand on their step stool, body stretched tight, with a tool belt around his waist that held different kinds of tape measures, rulers, plastic stars and the white tack to stick them on the ceiling.  
Sometimes he would check his notes and then make new calculations, when something didn't fit. When it was almost done Iruka discreetly bought new lamps that they could point towards the ceiling.  
And on the day it was complete; Kakashi took Iruka’s hand, and lead him into the bedroom and pointed at a blue plastic planet above their bed.

That’s where I’m from he said and smiled so bright it was blinding and Iruka almost cried.

To their friends and anyone else visiting it looked completely random. But Iruka knew that, when he looked up, he had a glanced of a star map, which was so far away, that no telescope or satellite from Earth would ever be able to reach. He knew that the blue planets where ones Kakashi had visited, and the pink stars were suns he’d flown by and felt how the spaceship got hotter and the whole crew was on high alert because not even extremely advanced technology could protect completely from that kind of energy.

So when Genma smirked after looking up, at their housewarming party, and opened his mouth Iruka knew what kind of remark was coming. And all he could see was Kakashi’s face full of wonder and excitement and pure joy in making a visible star map, while telling stories of his adventures, and using that genius brain of his in ways no one on Earth would ever understand. And Iruka wasn't going to let anyone talk bad about it. Not even his oldest friend.  
Kakashi had trusted Iruka enough to create and share his home world inside their home and Iruka would protect that with everything he had. This turned out to be a sharp tongue and an angry glare Genma swore he still got nightmares of.

* * *

The library was of the newer version with grey metal shelves and brown linoleum floors. It was on two floors with a single big staircase in the centre of the first floor, which led down to the basement where the children and young adult, movies and comic sections were.  
The area behind the staircase, on the first floor, held everything else.

There were no cosy reading nooks only a few tables with hard wooden chairs scattered around randomly. Down at the bottom at the non-fiction was a cluster of out-dated computers and a printer that only worked every other day. But it was here under the sterile fluorescent light that Iruka met Kakashi for the first time. He'd seen him before, of course. Everyone had at the community college they both went to. Kakashi was gorgeous and it seemed like most of Iruka's fellow students had, at least, drooled once as Kakashi passed them by in the hallways.  
Iruka had never imagined that he would find Kakashi, a Monday morning, sitting on the floor in the dull geography section, with a panel open in his right arm which revealed a pulsing blue light and black wires. Purple fluid was running from his eyes, down his cheeks and dripping down on his tight black jeans.

Kakashi’s eyes were half closed when he noticed Iruka standing completely frozen. The normally relaxing silence that always covered a library was suddenly too loud. Iruka didn't know how long they starred awkwardly at each other. Iruka finally moved when the sound of whisper reached him and he took a couple of steps back and craned his head back to see where the sound came from. Two young women were walking down the main aisle, towards Iruka, but turned right and disappeared into the biography section.

Iruka took a deep breath, rolled his eyes and look quick at the boring popcorn ceiling and then took a few steps towards Kakashi who hadn't moved at all.  
Iruka sat down on his knees, close to Kakashi, and tried to shield him with his own body. It couldn't do much about the long legs but the sight of worn, black, converse shoes were better than an arm full of wires.

Iruka lifted the shoulder strap of his bag over his head before putting it on the floor and opened the flap to the main compartment. He reached a hand inside and rummaged around amongst errant pens, an old notebook, a bruised banana and papers that shouldn't lie loose. He was aware of the two eyes observing him but he ignored them until he found what he was looking for, a pack of cheap tissues, where the sticky layer on the small seal had become useless. He took a single tissue out of the packet and lifted it up to wipe away the purple fluid on Kakashi’s cheeks. He was only millimetres away when it occurred to him that he should maybe ask for permission.

He took his hand away and made eye contact with Kakashi. It was the first time Iruka had seen him up close and he was surprised to see a long scar running over Kakashi’s left eye, from his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth. The eye itself was damaged and had a white milk like colour covering both iris and pupil. It was a strong contrast to his normal midnight blue eye and Iruka found it fascinating.  
Iruka cleared his throat. "I just wanted to wipe it away. Is that okay?"

A few seconds passed by where they just starred at each other until Kakashi gave an almost invisible nod.  
Iruka shifted the weight on his knees and was about to start wiping the fluid away when he suddenly hesitated. "It's not poisonous, is it?" He asked and started to consider, where he could find some kind of gloves.  
A grunt interrupted his thoughts.  
"No" Kakashi answered shortly with a glint in his eyes.

"I thought it was a fair question." Iruka whispered, petulantly, but started to wipe away the fluid. He didn't know what he expected. The fluid were similar to tears in the way it ran down Kakashi's pale skin but the tissue got stuck in what was more like thick golden syrup.

"Maybe some water will help." Iruka muttered to himself and tossed the used sticky tissue on the floor. He couldn't hide the brief grimace of disgust when the tissue got stuck to his fingers for two seconds.

He hurriedly took the half filled bottle of lukewarm water from the side pocket on his bag and wet a new tissue. It made the process a lot easier and the purple fluid was gone after three wet tissues.  
Iruka then looked down on the dark splotches on Kakashi’s jeans. "I can't do anything about those."

"Don't' worry about it." Kakashi had closed his eyes and was resting his head on the obsolete atlases behind him. His gravity defying silver white hair covered a couple of books about the Water Country. His breathing was slightly fast, and besides the miniscule movements of his head, it was the only kind of movements he'd made for the last ten minutes.

"The leaking syrup tears aren't the only thing that's wrong." Iruka looked down on the open panel in Kakashi's left forearm. The blue light was still pulsing behind the black wires and his hand lay open on his thigh.

"I discovered a loose connecting, but accidentally tore a rather essential wire in two. Which is the reason why I can't move."

"That was stupid." Iruka said blankly.

"Yes, thank you. I hadn't noticed."

Biting his lips nervously, Iruka look over his shoulder. It was luck and a regular Monday that was the reason they hadn't been discovered yet.

"Is there anything I can do?" Iruka asked and leaned over Kakashi to have a better look at his arm. The open panel seemed unreal, imbedded in what looked to be normal skin with blue shadowing of veins under the thin, pale skin. It was like someone had painted a 3D drawing, and if Iruka angled his head it would appear as a superficial illusion.

"I'm not comfortable with you touching it."

"Which I totally understand." Iruka said and nodded his head, absentmindedly. "Wait. There. Is it that wire?" He pointed at said wire as close as he dared without touching anything..

"Your head is in the way, but yes, it's probably the right one." Kakashi muttered drily.

"Iruka straightened up."I think I have a temporary fix for that."

"How?" Kakashi asked sceptically, one midnight blue eye squinting at him.

Iruka dove back into his bag. "There are still some frayed ends so if I twist them together and wrap them up... Aha!" Iruka finally found the ball of aluminium foil that had been on the bottom of his bag for ages.

"Aluminium foil." Kakashi said disbelievingly when he saw the crumpled silver ball in Iruka's hand.  
Iruka answered with a big grin and started to carefully fold out the ball and rip a piece of it off.  
He leaned over Kakashi again, who didn't protest, maybe out of desperation. They couldn't hide for very much longer, no matter how boring geography were. Right before Iruka got a hold on one of the wires frayed ends he stopped.

"What now?" Kakashi sighed frustrated.

"Clean hands." Iruka mumbled and located the anti bacterial gel he had in the other side pocket of his bag. He squirted a good amount of the clear gel into his palm and rubbed his hands together until they were completely dry. He also squeezed a dollop on the piece of foil, rubbed it between two fingers and waved it around to air dry it.

"You're well prepared." Kakashi pointed out with a hint of astonishment.

"I had a vision when I was a child of a man in need so I made sure to always have certain kinds of artefacts on my person."

Kakashi finally lifted his head, as much as he could anyway, and looked at Iruka with both eyes and his mouth slightly open.

Iruka was unable to keep a straight face and started to giggle. "I have a pseudo little brother, who has a tendency to end up in the weirdest situations so I quickly learned to be ready for anything. I have a big box of band aids, too."

It was when Kakashi released a faint husky chuckle that Iruka knew he would fall in love with, well, whatever kind of being that ended up paralyzed, in the library, with wires in his arms and purple syrup tears.

"I'm Iruka, by the way."

Kakashi just looked at him, a crooked smile on his face and something indescribable swirling in his midnight blue eye.

"I know."

* * *

A week before their wedding, as they snuggled in bed late at night, Kakashi whispered the last piece of the puzzle into Iruka's skin. "I have a... thing inside me. A type of bomb but its force is equivalent to the Sun exploding. So I ran as far away as I could. I didn't..." Kakashi paused and swallowed heavily. "I didn't know life was this advanced here. I thought I'd be alone. I'm sorry."

Iruka wrapped himself tightly around Kakashi as he felt his whole body shaking.  
"It's okay, love. If that ever happens, we'll leave together."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the mods for being nice, as always, and to S. and my writer's club for helping me.


End file.
